


Three Wests and a White Shadow

by IrrationallyExcited



Series: Two Crooks and a College Student [2]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Angst, BAMF Barry Allen, Coldflashwave, College Student, M/M, Multi, Poly, Saints and Sinners, Threesome, West family dynamics, coldflash - Freeform, coldwave, idk - Freeform, polyamorous, stil dont know how these tags actually work lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-22
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-18 12:08:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,753
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11874063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IrrationallyExcited/pseuds/IrrationallyExcited
Summary: Barry knows that his life has become a little bit crazy over the past few weeks. Who would've thought that goody-two-shoes Barry Allen could end up sleeping with- not one, but two criminals?More importantly, how does he explain it to Joe? He hasn’t even come out as bi yet, how is he supposed to explain polyamory to his family?Or, As Barry puts it:“Damn, I’m so busted.”





	Three Wests and a White Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> In celebration of reaching 500 kudos on this fic (thankyou omfg) and my fifteenth birthday... in finally posting a sequel!!
> 
> This fic explores the West family relationship in a lot more detail, and it gets quite angsty!!! so beware. Also it gets pretty risque, at least by my standards... but not much really.
> 
> Also warnings for strong language- because I have a potty mouth and apparently so does Barry in this.
> 
> !!! 
> 
> Parts of this were inspired by song lyrics from Kesha's new song 'Godzilla' (yess I love her new album and I'm so proud) and Twenty One Pilots' Heathens. Both songs pretty much sum up this AU in my head, and i recommend you listen to them either before or while you read.
> 
> !!!
> 
> ENJOY! ^-^

“Bartholomew Henry Allen.” Joe’s voice rings clearly through the house, strong enough to be yelling even though his tone is even and low.

Barry freezes, halfway through the door to his childhood home with a look on his face like a deer in headlights.

He gulps, torn between running upstairs to hide in his old bedroom or turning around and going back home.

Joe had called him earlier that day and invited him to dinner, but by the look of Iris and Wally sat on the couch with respective looks of disdain and disappointment on their faces, Barry thinks this is more of an intervention.

“Oh, shit.” Barry sighs, shutting the door behind him, “this is an intervention isn’t it?”  
Iris is the only one to react; nodding with a grim smile. Sighing again, he knocks his head back against the door frame and drags his hands over his eyes.

“I got a very interesting call from Officer Jones last night.” Joe finally speaks, unmoving from his post at the edge of the room.

Shit, Barry thinks. Jones is the guy who talks to the undercover officers- he keeps tabs on well known criminals- and their most frequented bars- which includes Len and Mick...

“Damn.” He mutters, “I’m so busted.”

^-^

The previous night

Barry knows that his life has become a little bit batshit crazy over the past few weeks. Who would've thought that goody-two-shoes Barry Allen could end up sleeping with- not one, but two criminals.

Firstly, the way they met was pretty much as far from ‘rom-com romance’ as you could possibly get. Secondly, he hasn’t even come out as bi yet, how is he supposed to explain polyamory to his family?

That’s only if he ever got to a point where it could be safe to tell his foster father about his criminal boyfriends... probably not in a million years.

It’s not like he could just bring Len and Mick to family dinner, Len would probably try to steal something, and Mick would just be... Mick. He’s an acquired taste (and Barry’s had a lot of time to acquire that taste, thankyouverymuch).

What would he even say? “ This is Mick. He’s mostly tame... as long as there’s pizza and video games.”

Yeah, not happening.

^-^

Somehow Barry let Leonard convince him to go to Saints and Sinners. He knew it was a bad idea, but Barry hasn’t been able to make sensible decisions since they first met... and when Mick called it a date he was a goner.

So there he was, sat at the bar in a dark, seedy building. He could feel the lingering gazes and stares of all the other cons in the room, and it made him shiver with disgust.

Obviously he stuck out like a sore thumb, and he swore they could smell the newcomer on him.

Next to him, he could see Leonard glaring murderously at anyone who dared to look at him too long or too hard. It would’ve been flattering, if Barry wasn’t so terrified.

Mick was somewhere in the corner, either playing pool or trying to pick a fight. Probably both. Unreasonably, Barry missed him. The thought of Mick's warm presence on his other side made him quiver, to be protected by both his boyfriends- to be claimed by them... it was all he really wanted in that moment.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mick suddenly reappeared with two shot glasses. He took the stool next to Barry, leaning just a little too close to be casual.

“Leonard doesn’t drink.” Barry blurted almost immediately, nervously watching the clear liquid slosh in the glass as Mick dropped it in front of him.

“Mmhmm.” Leonard drawled lowly in his ear, as Mick grunted his affirmation.

“You want... I don’t think I want to get drunk tonight.” He stumbled over his words just slightly, nervous and flustered.

“Oh c’mon Barry;” Leonard teased, “you’re so tense, just drink the vodka. It’s good for you.”

“It's not good for my liver.”

“Maybe not, but it’ll be good for your blood pressure. We come here to relax, you should too.” Leonard retorted, a hand on his back comfortingly.

Mick hummed, a sly grin on his lips, “this is our first date remember, let us get you nice and drunk so you’ll take your pants off later.”

Sighing, Barry carefully picked up the glass. “Fine. But this is actually our second date... and I already put out on the first one anyway.”

With that, he swallowed the shot in one quick gulp, wincing when it burned all the way down his throat. It didn’t make him cough or choke though... But when Mick whispered in his ear he definitely choked.

“Maybe I meant you would be taking your pants off for us here.”

Barry got very drunk that night... But he didn’t get naked anywhere except his own home. He may not have standards, but he does have class- remember?

^-^

Currently

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Iris exclaims suddenly, lurching to her feet and stalking towards Barry.

To his credit, Barry doesn’t try to move our of her way, or even flinch. She stands toe-to-toe with him, and despite the height difference, she may as well be staring him down. He feels about two inches tall under her steely glare, and hot shame washes over him like a fever.

“I don’t know what you were thinking, but you’re such an idiot, Barry. Snart and Rory? They’ve been criminals since we started highschool, and they’re almost twice your age!”

“Yeah, and they’re guys, and there’s two of them.” He snapped, so harsh she stepped back, startled. “If you’re going to stand here and judge me, at least be fucking honest. Iris.”

That made everyone in the room freeze, until Wally coughed lightly, moving to pull Iris away.

“Nobody’s judging you, man. We’re just worried.” He explained, pulling his sister to sit back down and glancing nervously at his dad.

“Worried? Really? Because the first thing anyone did when I walked in was yell at me. As if I’m not an adult, as if I’m not old enough and responsible enough to make my own decisions about my own life.” Barry rants, gesturing wildly around the room.

“Do you really want to hear the truth? Then here’s the truth!” Joe suddenly explodes, thundering across the room to look Barry right in the eye. “I think you’re acting like an idiot. I think that you're just a dumb kid with no idea what you’re doing, and I know that this is going to come back and bite you in the ass.”

Gaping, Barry fights back the tears in eyes and fixes a harsh scowl on his face.

“Fuck you.”

“No. You wanted to know what we really thought, you wanted no bullshit. This is no bullshit. Get used to it.”

Barry is stunned, and so are the other two people in the room. It takes a moment, then Iris speaks again, quiet.

“Dad. Please- don’t blame Barry...”

Joe almost whips around to berate his daughter too, but catches himself. “Iris, I know you love your brother, but you don’t understand what he's doing.”

“Then explain.” Iris pushes, stoic.

“What?” Both Joe and Wally are confused by her request, but Barry bites his lip to hide a smile. He knows exactly what she's doing; and it makes him love her so much more than he already did.

“Explain to me, and Barry, exactly what it is that's made you so angry. Right now, Barry thinks you’re judging him because they're both men, and I don’t know what to think... neither does Wally. You dragged us here without explanation too, remember?” She keeps herself collected and straightforward, and it's clear she’s going to be a great reporter one day- just from the way she handles the conversation.

“Okay, I guess I can do that.” Joe sighs, slumping against the wall in exhaustion. “I’m driving myself crazy, thinking about all the ways you could get hurt by this, Barry. Physically and mentally. Of course you're not a kid any more, and you can take care of yourself, but that doesn’t help me stop caring too much.”

“These men are criminals. They've killed people and stolen from people.. They are dangerous, and I'm scared Barry. I don't get scared often.”

Groaning, Barry can't help but interrupt, even with the dirty looks from Iris and Wally; “You don’t need to be scared, they aren’t going to hurt me.”

“I don't think I believe you, I'm sorry Barry. I just can't get away from the idea of you murdered in an alley somewhere, or heartbroken and alone in a seedy bar, like the one you went to last night. You don’t understand what you've gotten yourself into.”

“You think I don’t understand what I'm doing? You think I don’t know them? They've told me about every heist they’ve ever pulled, they’ve explained to me why they have to do what they do... they’ve told me the names of every single person they've killed. Do you want to know an interesting fact? They've never hurt an innocent person, not even a hostage. Every person they’ve killed is- I mean was- a criminal. Gang leaders, rapists, human traffickers... Leonard and Mick only hurt the people who deserve it. Including Leonard's Father, and Mick’s parents.” Barry explains, almost as emotionless as Joe, if it weren't for the tears streaking down his cheeks.

For a moment everyone is quiet, and Joe shakes his head, at a complete loss. Then he looks carefully at Barry, and sighs.

“I tried to help you Barry. I told the captain I would set you straight as long as nobody went after you, but if you cant cooperate... you've already lost your chance to work at the CCPD when you graduate. Don’t let those men take anything else from you.”

Iris sniffs, and Barry sighs loudly. “They haven't taken anything from me.”

“Yes they have!” Joe insists, “you don't see it because you don't want to, but they're manipulating you. The guy who saw you at that bar... he said they were pressuring you. You shouldn't have been in that situation in the first place, and I feel like it's my fault. Why would you go there anyway?”

Suddenly Barry understands; Joe doesn't realise how long he's been with Len and Mick. He laughs, bitter.

“They weren't pressuring me to do anything I hadn't done with them already. I met them at my apartment weeks ago, and nothing happened that I wasn't comfortable with. I swear.”

“That doesn't make it any better! That just makes it worse, Barry. Why would you throw your life away like this?”

“I'm not throwing my life away! I'm changing it, for the better. I found two people that actually care about me! They listen to me when I talk about my mother's death, and they believe me when I say my dad didn't do it.”

“Just because they tell you what they want you to hear doesn't mean you should trust them.”

“Maybe I'd have a better time knowing who to trust if I didn't spend the last eight years of my life living with the man who put my father in a cage.”

“Barry!” Iris gasped, horrified.

“What? It’s the truth. And all you ever did was remind me how I didn’t belong. Both of you. Every day you’d tell me how you ‘took me in' or ‘rescued me'... you call me your white shadow for fuck's sake!”

Wally spoke up, eyes wide and confused. “You know we don't mean that, it's a joke.”

“Its not that funny to me! Half my life I’ve been here, listening to you call my dad a killer, watching you pretend to be my dad. You're not my dad! Then Wally came out of nowhere and you stopped caring about me completely. So no, I don't give a shit what you think of me. I don’t want to ever work with you, I don’t even want to be a CSI anymore. What’s the point? I’m never going to prove my father’s innocence if I can’t even convince you.”

“Barry, don’t be stupid.” Joe steps forward and puts a hand on his arm, but Barry just shoves him away.

“All you ever do is tell me I'm stupid! I'm so sick of it...” He shakes his head maniacally, “I’m leaving.”

He's out the door before his last word even leaves his lips.

With a frustrated shout, Joe drives his fist into the wall and storms to the kitchen. Wally is frozen in place, lost between following his dad or bursting into tears. He chooses both.

Iris is determined though, as she jumps up and strides out the door after Barry. He's stood at the bottom of the front porch, staring at something in his hands. It’s his keys.

“Barry.” She says, cautious.

“What do you want, Iris? I'm not going back in there.”

“I'm not asking you to.”

Barry sighs, shoving his hands into his pockets, “Okay. What is it then?”

“Do you really feel like that?” She asks, frowning worriedly.

Barry pauses, contemplative”...Yes.”

Swiping a tear from her cheek, she huffs out a low breath. “I'm sorry, I didn't know... those things you said were... I wish you didn't have to go through what happened to your mom.” Iris rarely finds herself lost for words, and it pulls at something in his chest.

“You don't have to say that. It was awful, her death, and I spend every day wishing my dad could be here, but... I don't regret growing up with you. I'm glad to have you as a sister.”

“You know I always believed in you. Right?”

He sighs, wistful. “Yes you did. Even when you hated my guts... you never used my father against me. And you were also pretty good at scaring away anyone else who tried to.”

She laughs, “I was like your little bodyguard. I just wish I could have protected you from everything else.”

“You didn't need to. That wasn't your job.” He stares at her, steadfast. “And anyway, you had your own stuff to deal with.”

“Like what?”

“Your mother, Wally... all the boys throwing themselves at your feet.”

Cracking into a giggle, she steps forward carefully, putting a hand on Barry's arm.

“Are you going to disappear?” She sounds scared, and it breaks Barry's heart.

“I don't know what you mean.”

“I mean... obviously you aren't coming back here any time soon, but... are you going to drop out of school?”

“Yes. Not because of them, but because I've realised I'm not doing the right thing. Being a CSI was something Joe convinced me to do... he made me think it would get my dad out. But I know that the only way that's gonna happen now is if he digs a tunnel out and climbs over the wall.”

“I'm sorry Barry-“ Iris tries, but she's interrupted again.

“No. Don't apologise, you don't have to- remember?”

“Okay. I just need to know... if you're dropping out of school and going to be with Leonard and Mick..." She pauses, rolling her words around her to tongue for a second. “Will I ever see you again?”

Barry's heart liquefies. He can feel it pouring out of his chest, he exhales a long, cracked breath.

“I don't know. Maybe.”

Iris has to hold back a wrecked sob, she can see in his eyes that he isn't optimistic. He grabs her hand, and squeezes it for a second.

Iris cant help herself, “By the way, Barry.” He meets her eyes again, “Happy Birthday.”

He laughs bitterly, “I haven't celebrated my birthday since I was fifteen... but thanks.”

Then he lets go.

^-^

Iris held her breath as she watched her brother- her best friend- walk away. He disappeared into the darkness of the street, and she turned back to the house.

Wally stood in the doorway, heartbreak in his eyes.

“Dad went to bed.”

“Okay.” She sounds like she's about to break, but she keeps her head up. Because she's a West, she's strong.

“What did he give you?” Wally asks, uncharacteristically shy.

She glances down in surprise. She didn't even notice when he put the cold metal object in her hand, but she’d wrapped it up in her fist so desperately it left grooves along her palm.

“It’s his key. The key to this house.”

“Oh.” Wally sighs. He knows now, for certain.

They've lost him.

 


End file.
